Hair drying and treating appliance

ABSTRACT

A hair dryer of the type having a base which supports a rigid head receiving helmet. Means are provided in the base to supply alternatively either hot air or steam which is discharged into the interior of the helmet through perforations in the inner wall of the helmet. The motor driven blower for supplying the hot air and the steam generator are mounted within the base housing on a transversely extending metal supporting wall. Control means for the appliance permits selective alternative energization of either the steam generating means or the motor driven blower and the air heater. Simplified measuring and valving means are provided to control the insertion of measured amounts of water into the steam generator.

United States Patent Chicago, Ill.

[72] inventors [2 1] Appl. No. {22] Filed [45] Patented [73] Assignee [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,847,619 3/1932 Mascolo 2,662,521 12/1953 ArmstrongetaL. 2,762,133 9/1956 Leclabart 3,303,325 2/1967 Hubrich 219/364 FOREIGN PATENTS 453,239 l2/l948 Canada 34/97 Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-Gregory E. McNeil] Attorney-George R. Clark ABSTRACT: A hair dryer of the type having a base which supports a rigid head receiving helmet. Means are provided in the base to supply alternatively either hot air or steam which is discharged into the interior of the helmet through perforations in the inner wall of the helmet. The motor driven blower for supplying the hot air and the steam generator are mounted within the base housing on a transversely extending metal supporting wall. Control means for the appliance permits selective alternative energization of either the steam generating means or the motor driven blower and the air heater. Simplified measuring and valving means are provided to control the insertion of measured amounts of water into the steam generator.

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HAIR DRYING AND TREATING APPLIANCE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many appliances have been developed in recent years to facilitate the care and treatment of womens hair in the home rather than in the beauty parlor. These home appliances have differed considerably from the professional equipment found in the beauty parlor for reasons of cost and space requirements. The individual housewife is not willing to invest many hundreds of dollars a"hair dryer or hair treating appliance which is only used occasionally. In addition, the professional equipment of the type used in beauty parlors is very bulky and would normally be inconvenient to useor store in the normal home. As a consequence of the inadequacies of the professional hair dryers, small, compact hair dryers have been a developed for use by women in the home. Exemplary of one such type of hair dryer is the so-calledhardhat hair dryer, having a base enclosing a motor driven blower and heater which discharges heated air upwardly through a support con duit into a rigid helmet of suitable size to receive a woman's head with her hair styled in rollers or the like. This helmet is made with a double walled construction so that the heated air can be circulated to all parts of the helmet and dischargedin wardly toward the head through perforations in the inner wall of the helmet. Hair dryers of this type have been popular since they are relatively low in cost and operate almost as effectively as the professional units found in beauty parlors. Inaddition, such hair dryers are designed so that they may be folded up into a very compact shape for storage purposes.

It has been found that in the normal grooming of their hair, women desire to set their hair several-times each week while they are not interested in washing it that often. Although there are various commercial solutions available to set the hair on these occasions when it is not washed: it has been found that steam is effective to dampen the hair after which it may be dried on curlers to produce a reasonably long lasting curl in the hair. Accordingly, some hair dryers have beende'signed. with steam generators' which produce substantial quantities of steam which is discharged onto the hair of the user for the-purposes of setting the hair on the occasions when it has not beenwashed prior to setting. The steam geherated in thismanner is conventionally fed through the support conduit,. helmet manifold and discharged through the same perforations as the heated air used in connection with drying the hair. One of the problems associated with the construction of such an appliance is that the base is conventionally fabricated of molded plastic which is relatively sensitive to heat. Since the steam generator itself is subjected to relatively high temperatures, it must be mounted in such a way that the temperatures" generated therein do not damage or deform the plastic housing. In addition, it is important that the controls for the appliance be arranged so that there is no likelihood of energizing the blower while there is still steam in the conduit and manifold. Experience has indicated that the steam cools sufficiently when it moves through the passageways more or less by convection. When forced through the conduit and manifold by the blower, it arrives at the head of ,the user at a high enough temperature that some injury might occur.

After developing some experience with setting the hair by steaming and then drying it, the user usually develops an accurate idea as to how long the hair should be steamed to thoroughly dampen it so that when dried the curls will have a relatively firm set. Because of differences in the hair itself as well as the hair style desired, the period involved may differ considerably, In order to regulate this time, it has been conventional to measure the amount of water placed in the steam generator and to use this amount as the gauge to the period of steam generation. Various means have been provided to measure the quantities of water placed in the steam generator. Most of these means havebeen characterized by involving separable measuring containers or the like which are easily mislaid and lost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention involves an improved hair drying and treating appliance which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture. The invention relates to an appliance of the type hav ing a rigid helmet which is adapted to receive the head of a woman with her hair set and having means for supplying alternatively either heated air or steam to the manifold within the helmet whereby the heated air or steam is discharged into the hair ofthe user. W H

I The steam generator consists of a cast aluminum boiler having a heating element molded integrally therewith and having a discharge tubewhich delivers the generated steam into the combined helmet support and air conduit.- The broiler is sealed except for the discharge passage and is formed with a normally closed inletvalve which permits measured quantities of water to be delivered from a measuring receptacle into the boiler.

The steam generating boiler is mounted within the base of the appliance on a metallic partition which positions the boiler in spaced relation to the plastic walls of thehousing. The partition on which the steam generator is supported also serves as a support for the motor driven blower and theair heater.

The control circuit for the appliance lessens the possibility of operating the motor driven blower until such time as the steam generation has been completed and the steam is largely eliminated from the supportconduit and the helmet manifold.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hair dryer having means for generating steam for use in the treatment and settingof hair.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a hair dryer having a steam generator which is mounted along with a motor driven blower on a metallic partition within the base of the appliance.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved steam generating hair dryer having a boiler with simplified means fordis'pensing measured quantities of water into the boiler.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide hair dryer having steam generating means with a normally closed pushbutton valve arranged to automatically dispense measured quantities of water into the boiler when the valve is depressed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a control circuit and signalling means which facilitate switching 1 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better .understanding of the present invention} reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. I is a perspective view of a hair drying and treating appliance embodying our invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the portion of the appliance which dispenses measured amounts of water into the steam generating boiler;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5--5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the appliance with certain portions of the helmet and base cut away for illustrativev purposes;

FIG. 7 is a schematic wiring diagram of the electrical circuit of the appliance shown in FIGS. 1 through 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-9 of FIG. 4.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings in which like parts are designated by like numerals in the various views, there is shown in FIG. 1 a combined hair drying and treating appliance designated generally by reference numeral 11. The appliance 11 includes a base 12, an air conduit 13 which delivers heated air or steam from the base 12 to the rigid helmet or hood 14. The base 12 includes means for delivering either heated air or steam upwardly through the conduit 13 to the helmet 14 which distributes the air or steam to the hair of the person using the appliance 11. As is best shown in FIG. 1 the user is positioned with her head extending upwardly into the helmet 14 while the base 12 is supported on a table or shelf at a convenient height to support the helmet 14 as shown.

Considering first the structure of the helmet 14, reference should be made to FIG. 6 which shows the helmet partially in section for illustrative purposes. The helmet 14 is generally hemispherical in shape having a bottom opening 16 through which the head extends into the interior of the helmet. An outer imperforate wall 17 is positioned in spaced relationship to an inner wall perforate 18 which defines therebetween a continuous space or manifold 19 through which air or gas may pass to the discharge openings or perforations 20. The inner wall 18 and the outer wall 17 are connected only at their lower edges by an annular wall 21 which defines the lower edge of the manifold 19.

In order to increase the volume enclosed by the helmet 14, there is provided at the lower edge thereof an extension or attachment 22 which extends downwardly from the opening 16 in the helmet 14. The attachment 22 is more completely described in copending application Ser. No. 2,736, entitled HAIR DRYER AND FACIAL SAUNA, filed concurrently with this application and assigned to the same assignee. The helmet 14 with the attachment 22 form an enclosure which may completely surround the head and face of the user so that the entire head and face may be treated with steam or any other vapor or gas desired. The attachment 22 is formed with a front control 23 which serves to regulate the level of steam within the enclosure and facilitates breathing by the user during steam treatment. Adjacent the upper edge of the attachment 22 there is provided an inwardly directed flange 24 which rests in engagement with a flange 25 formed around the outer periphery of the lower edge of the helmet 14. The inner diameter of the attachment 22 is such that it may be telescopically received over the helmet 14 as shown in FIG. 6 with the flanges 24 and 25 interengaging to support attachment 22 in its downwardly extending position.

When the appliance 11 is intended to be used simply as a hair dryer, the attachment 22 may be lifted from the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 and reassembled to the helmet 14 with the walls of the attachment 22 extending upwardly from the flange 24 so that the attachment 22 does not project below the flange 25 but is simply nested around the helmet 14 as is more completely disclosed in the above-cited copending application.

The base 12 includes a housing 27 which is defined by a lower housing member 28 and an upper housing member 29 which encloses a motor driven blower 30, a steam generator 31, and an air heater 32. The lower housing member 28 is a somewhat dish-shaped plastic molding having a generally circular bottom wall 33 and cylindrical sidewalls 34. The upper housing member 29 fits together with the lower housing member to define a somewhat flat circular enclosure. The housing member 29 is formed with a circular peripheral flange 35 which engages a stepped shoulder 36 on the sidewalls 34 of the lower housing member 28. Positioned between the lower and upper housing members 28 and 29 is a sheet metal partition 38 which serves as a support for the motor driven blower assembly 30, the steam generator 31, and the heater 32.

The assembly 30 includes a shaded pole motor 39 which is mounted on the partition 38 with the output shafi thereof extending downwardly through an opening 40 in the partition 38. The motor shaft at its lower end supports a centrifugal fan 41 mounted in the area beneath the partition 38. The fan 41 is surrounded by a scroll wall 42 which is formed integrally with the lower housing member 28 and extends around the fan 41 in gradually greater spaced relationship to the fan 41 to direct the air flow produced by the fan 41 upwardly through the discharge passageway 44 shown best in FIG. 4. Before entering the discharge passage 44, the air passes across the heater 32 mounted on the lower face of the partition 38 and then upwardly through opening 45 in partition 38. The opening 45 is positioned on the outside of the scroll wall 42 as shown in FIG. 4 and permits the air to pass up into the discharge passage 44. After passing through the passageway 44, the air exits from the housing 27 through an opening 46 which is covered by a grill 47 which prevents the user from contacting the heater 32 or the steam generator 31 and prevents foreign objects from being inserted into the housing 27 through the opening 46.

After passing through the grill 47 "positioned within the opening 46, the heated air passes upwardly through the combined helmet support and air conduit 13 upwardly into the manifold 19 formed in helmet 14. The lower end of the conduit 13 is connected by a hinge 48 to the upper housing member 29 as shown in FIGS. 4'and 6. Similarly, the upper end of the conduit 13 is connected by a hinge 49 to the inner wall 18 of the helmet 14. In the operative or use position shown in FIG. 6, the lower end of the conduit 13 is in registry with the discharge opening 46 in the base 12 while the upper end of the conduit 13 is in registry with an opening 50 which extends through the lower connecting wall 21 of the helmet 14 into the manifold 19.

A suitable latch is provided to retain the helmet 14 and the conduit 13 in the relative positions shown in FIG. 6. When the appliance 11 is collapsed for storage purposes, the latch is disengaged to permit the conduit 13 to pivot with respect to the helmet 14 about the hinge 49. The conduit 13 is simultaneously pivoted counterclockwise about the hinge 48 to a position extending transversely across the top of the base 12 while the helmet 14 nests down against the base 12. Suitable retain ing means 52 and 53 shown in FIG. 1 are provided to secure the helmet 14 in its storage position on the base 12. When the helmet 14 is moved to the storage position on the base 12 as explained above, the attachment 22 is placed in the inverted position so that it extends upwardly from the helmet flange 25 and is telescopically received around the outer wall 17 of the helmet 14.

Because of the substantial heat associated with the steam generator 31, means are provided to mount the steam generator 31 so that it is spaced from and somewhat insulated from the plastic housing members 28 and 29. Accordingly, the steam generator 31 is secured to the metallic partition 38 rather than being secured to any of the plastic portions of the base 12. As is best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the steam generator 31 comprises a lower die cast boiler portion 54 into which sheathed heating element 55 is cast and an upper boiler portion 56. The upper and lower boiler portions 54 and 56 fit together and are sealed by a suitable high-temperature silicon cement to form a steam generating chamber 57 within which steam is generated by the electrical sheathed heating element 55.

For the purpose of introducing water into the steam generator 31, the upper boiler portion 56 is formed with a circular opening 58 which is defined by cylindrical,'upstanding flange 59. The upper housing member 29 in the area above the steam generator 31 is formed with a recess 60 as is best shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5. The recess 60 is a somewhat elongated trough which extends transversely across the base 12 and is formed with a plurality of measuring steps or ridges 61 shown in FIG. 4. The purpose of the steps or ridges 61 is to measure the quantity of water which may be placed in the recess 60 to obtain a desired period of steam generation. Accordingly, if the user desires a substantial period of steam treatment, the recess or water receptacle 60 is filled to the upper of the three .5 steps 61. When filled to this level, the steam generator will produce mist for approximately 10 minutes. The succeeding lower steps will produce mist for periods of approximately 7% and 5 minutes. Any suitable water containing means such as a I upper end the pushbutton 64 and at its lower end the conical valve member 67. The pushbutton64 and the valve stem 66 form the somewhat T-shaped valve control member 62 which is biased to an upper valve closing position by spring 68 which is received in a pocket 69 and which acts upwardly against the underside of the pushbutton 64 as is best shown in FIG. 4.

The bottom of the recess 60 is formed with a small, crescent-shaped opening 70 which is positioned in and'adjacent to the boss 65 and extends through to the underside of the housing member 29 providing'a passageway for water to pass downwardly and outwardly from the reservoir or recess 60. Formed immediately adjacent the opening 70is a conical valve seat 71 against which the valve member 67 is engaged as shown in FIG. 4.

i In order to connect the discharge opening 70 with'the inlet opening 58 on the steam generator 31, there isprovided a molded, coupling 72 which is formed of a high temperatureresistant silicone rubber. The coupling 72 resiliently engages the flange 59 on the upper boiler'portion 56 at its lower end and at its upper end engages a corresponding flange 73 which surrounds the valve seat 71 providing a sealed passageway between the recess 60 and the chamber "57 in 'the steam generator 31. In operation, the recess or-reservoir 60 is filled to the desired indicating step or ridge 61 and the pushbutton 64 is then depressed allowing the water to pass through the opening 70 through the coupling '72 into the chamber 57. As soon as the pressure on the pushbutton 64 is released, the spring 68 will bias the valve'control member 62 and the valve member 67 into sealing engagement with the valve seat 71. This arrangement provides a simple and effective means for dispensing a measured quantity of water into the steam generator 31 and sealing the water inlet except during the short period in which the water is actually being dispensed into the chamber 57. I

As is best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, the steam generator 31 is shaped somewhat'like the head of a golf club with the portion from which the terminal ends of the heating element 55 extend being narrow and the other endbeing substantially enlarged. This configuration permits the use of a sheathed heating element which may be formed to a reasonably, large radius of curvature so that the danger of shorting the element against the enclosing sheath isreduced to a minimum. The element 55, if viewed from above, would follow the general exterior contour of the steam generator 31 and is spaced slightly inwardly from the outer wall of the lower boiler portion 54. As is shown in FIG. 4, the lower boiler portion is formed with an inwardly extending rib or fillet 74 which extends around the lower edge of 4 the steam generating chamber 57. The rib or fillet 74 provides sufficient material to completely enclose the heating element 55. When water is dispensed into the chamber 57, it is spread out against bottom wall 75 which extends horizontally between the element enclosing fillet 74. With the water engaged with the bottom wall 54 and 56 are formed with sidewardly extending channelshaped portions 78 and 79 which fonn a discharge conduit 80 extending laterally from one side of the chamber 57. Extending upwardly from the conduit 80 is a pipe 81 which angles upwardly and terminates immediately beneath the grill 47 in the air outlet 46. Thus,,in operation the water which is converted into steam by the action of the heating element 55 within the chamber 57 passes sidewardly through the discharge conduit 80 and then upwardly through the pipe 81 from which it is discharged through the grill 47 into the conduit 13. The arrangement of the heating element within the fillet 74 and the low mass of the bottom wall 75 permits the boiler 31 to be heated promptly to thereby convert the water into steam quickly after it has been dispensed into the steam generator 31 from the recess or reservoir 60.

In order to minimize the heat transfer between the steam generator 31 and the surrounding parts of the base 12, the

- lower boiler portion 54 is formed with a plurality of supporting 75 and the fillet 74, good heat conduction to the water is assured and prompt generation of the steam is achieved. The interior of the boiler portion 56 is formed with several upwardly extending bosses 76 which serve to receive assembly screws 77 which secure the steam generator 31 to the partition 38.

For the purpose of discharging the steam from the 'g'enerator 31 into the air conduit 13, the lower and upper boiler portions feet 83 which minimize the area of contact between the steam generator 31 and the metallic partition 38. In addition, the

' 44 through which the discharge portion of the steam generator 31 extends, asilicon rubber wall member 84 is utilized to provide a seal between the steam generator 31 and the adjacent wall portions of the upper housing member 2. The upper housing member 29 is formed with a wall 82 forming one side of the passageway 44. The wall 82 is provided with an opening 82a through which conduit and pipe 81 of the steam generator 31 "extend into passageway 44. The rubber wall member 84 is adhesively secured at its edges to the portions of wall 82 surrounding opening 820. An opening 85 in rubber member 84 is of such size that the edges defining opening 85 resiliently engage the steam g'enerator'31 and prevent leadage of air'outwardly from the discharge passage '44 into the area surrounding the steam generator 31. This provides a simple and effective manner of mounting the steam generator within the base 12 in such a manner that it is insulated from the adjacent plastic'wall portions which are generally sensitive to high temperatures of the order produced in the steam generator 31. The steam generator 31 is itself compact and efiicient with the heating element 55 being positioned for maximum heat transfer between the element 55 and the water which is dispensed into the steam chamber 57. As a consequence, the steam generation occurs promptly on the dispensing of the water into the heated chamber.

For the purpose of controlling the operation of the 'motor 30 and the steam generator 31, there is provided a control 86 which is positioned in the top surface of theupper housing member 29. Thecontrol 86 includes a switch having a rotary knob 87 and an indicator light 88. Suitable indicia 89 positioned adjacent theknob 87 permit selection of the various modes of operation of the appliance 11. These various modes of operation will be described in connection with the schematic diagram shown in FIG. 7. As shown in the schematic diagram, the appliance 11 is provided with a suitable power cord 90 which may be connected to a utility line outlet and which has one side thereof connected directly to a switch 91. The control knob 87 of the switch 91 is designed to connect one side of the line. to either one of four tenninals which are numbered in the schematic diagram of FIG. 7. In position 1, the line is connected to the steam generator 31 which includes the heating element 55 and the indicator light 88 which is connected in series with the element 55. Mounted on the bottom of the steam generator 31 is a thermostat 92 which is adapted to open the circuit through the heating element 55 when the water is dissipated from the steam chamber 57 and the temperature of the steam generator 31 rises considerably over its normal operating temperature during the generation of steam. The thermostat 92 is calibrated so that it will not open the circuit shutting off the element 55 and the mist indicating light 88 for a period of 30 seconds or so after the water has actually been dissipated from the steam generator 31. This permits the steam within the air conduit 13 and the manifold 19 to lower in temperature and to be largely dissipated before the light 88 shuts 05. At the time the light 88 shuts off indicating that the steaming portion of the hair treating cycle has been completed, the operator turns the control knob 87 to any one of the remaining three positions which provide either medium temperature heated air, low temperature heated air, or a cool air condition in which the heater 32 would be deenergized. In either the 2" or 3" settings of the switch 91, the heater 32 is energized at a different level while the motor 30 is energized to drive the fan to cause airflow through the conduit 13 and into the manifold 19. The switch 91 provides internal connection so that on the 2 and 3 settings, the motor 30 is connected in parallel with a portion of the heater 32. On setting I, the motor 30 is not energized, while on setting 4 only the motor 30 is energized.

The thermostat 92 is retained in position against the bottom wall 75 of the steam generator 31 by means of an L-shaped retaining lug 38a which is formed integrally with the partition 38 as is best shown in FIG. 5. A cylindrical projection 92a on the thennostat 92 registers with an opening 38b in the lug 38a to prevent displacement of the thermostat 92 with respect to the lug 38a. A spring washer 94 is positioned between the lug 38a and the thermostat 92 to apply a resilient upwardly directed force against the thermostat 92 turning it into heat transfer relationship with the bottom wall 75.

One of the difiiculties associated with this type of appliance is the possibility of energizing the motor and causing the high temperature steam to be blown through the conduit 13 and onto the head of the user while the steam is dangerously hot. in the present arrangement, the delay introduced by the thermostat 92 before the indicator light 88 is shut off prevents the motor 30 from being energized before the steam is largely dissipated from the system. Accordingly, this arrangement is both simple and satisfactory from a safety standpoint.

While there has been shown and described a single embodiment of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects and it is, therefore, contemplated in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A hair drying and setting appliance comprising upper and lower plastic housing members assembled together to form a flat generally circular base housing enclosing a motor driven blower and a steam generator, a metal partition extending horizontally across within said housing to divide said housing into an upper motor chamber and a lower fan chamber, said generator being supported on said partition in said upper chamber and being spaced from said housing members, an air discharge passageway extending upwardly from said lower chamber through said upper chamber to an air conduit extending from the top of said housing, said air conduit supporting at its upper end a hair drying helmet which is positioned to receive a head having hair to be dried or treated with steam, said helmet having an air manifold connected to said air conduit and discharge openings to discharge air or steam into said hair, said passageway being formed by vertical walls formed integrally with said upper housing member, a discharge conduit on said generator projecting through an opening in said vertical wall into said passageway, and a rubber wall member positioned around said conduit in sealed engagement therewith and engaging said wall around said opening to seal said opening.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said generator comprises a cast metal enclosure having spaced bottom and top walls with a sheathed heating element cast integrally with said bottom wall, supporting projections of small cross-sectional area extending from said bottom wall into supporting engagement with said partition to reduce heat transfer between said generator and said partition.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said generator is formed with awater inlet in said top wall, a water reservoir formed by an upwardly facing recess in said upper housing member, a valve controlled opening at the bottom of said recess, said inlet being spaced below said valve controlled opening, and conduit means extending between said valve controlled opening and said water inlet to permit water to be discharged from said recess into said generator.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said upper housing member is formed with a valve passage within which a valve control member is mounted for vertical reciprocating movement, a valve seat formed at the lower end of said passageway, means biasing said control member upwardly, a valve closure at the lower end of said member biased into sealing engagement with said valve seat, said recess communicating with said passage through an opening above said valve seat, and a manually operable actuator on the upper end of said control member.

5. The combination of claim 2 including thermostatic control means connected in series with said heating element to deenergize said element when said generator heats up substantially above the normal operating temperature while generating steam, said thermostatic switch comprising a unitary switch which is clamped between said bottom wall of said enclosure and said partition.

6. In a hair dryer of the type having a rigid helmet supported on a base by a combined support and air conduit, the improvement comprising a base housing within which a motor driven blower and a steam generator are mounted, said generator having a closed boiler heated by a sheathed electrical heating element cast integrally with the bottom wall of said boiler, said generator having a valve controlled water inlet and an open discharge which extends into the air passage from said blower, a water receiving recess formed in the upper surface of said base housing, a drain opening in the bottom of said recess, valve and conduit means for controlling the flow of water from said drain opening in said recess to said steam generator inlet, said valve means including a normally closed valve having a manual actuator to cause water to flow from said recess to said generator.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said valve means includes a slidably mounted valve control member supported in the upper wall of said housing and having a pushbutton actuator at its upper end and a closure member at its lower end, said closure member being spring biased into sealing engagement with a valve opening formed in said housing wall and communicating with said drain'opening.

8. The combination of claim 6 wherein said boiler is a cast metal enclosure and includes spaced top and bottom walls which extend horizontally, said sheathed heating element being cast into said bottom wall and having parallel terminal ends extending from said bottom wall, the parallel ends of said element being closely spaced and the interconnecting portion of said element being generally circular in shape, said circular shape being substantially greater in diameter than the space between said ends.

9. The combination of claim 6 wherein said boiler is a cast metal enclosure and includes spaced top and bottom walls which extend horizontally, said sheathed heating element being cast into said bottom wall, the interior of said enclosure including a fillet extending upwardly from the bottom wall into the sidewall of the enclosure in surrounding said element, said element having spaced parallel end portions which extend outwardly from said boiler.

10. A combined steaming and drying hair treating appliance comprising means for delivering heated air to the head through a conduit and a double walled helmet having a perforated inner wall, a base enclosing steam generating means and a motor driven blower having means for heating the air circulated by said blower, wall means in said base for directing air from said blower and heater to said conduit, control means for selectively connecting said steam generating means or said motor and heater in circuit with a source of electrical power, means for delivering measured amounts of water into said steam generating means whereby steam is generated for a period corresponding to the measured amount of water, a thermostatically controlled signalling means responsive to the temperature of said steam generating means to provide a signal after the water and steam has been dissipated from said generating means, conduit and helmet.

11. The appliance of claim 10 wherein said signalling means includes a light in said control means connected in circuit with a temperature responsive switch on said steam generating means, said control means includes a manually operable switch having plural positions in which either said steam generating means or said motor and heater are energized.

12. The appliance of claim 10 wherein said signalling means includes a light connected in parallel with the heating element of said steam generating means and said temperature responsive switch on said steam generating means connected in series with said heating element 13. The combination of claim 10 wherein said steam generating means comprises a cast metal boiler having a heating element cast integrally in the bottom wall thereof, a laterally extending discharge on said boiler extending through said wall means to discharge steam into said conduit, said means for delivering measured amounts of water including a normally closed check valve in the top of said boiler, said valve having an opening in the bottom of an open water reservoir, and indicia on the side of said reservoir to pennit measuring the amount of water placed therein. 

1. A hair drying and setting appliance comprising upper and lower plastic housing members assembled together to form a flat generally circular base housing enclosing a motor driven blower and a steam generator, a metal partition extending horizontally across within said housing to divide said housing into an upper motor chamber and a lower fan chamber, said generator being supported on said partition in said upper chamber and being spaced from said housing members, an air discharge passageway extending upwardly from said lower chamber through said upper chamber to an air conduit extending from the top of said housing, said air conduit supporting at its upper end a hair drying helmet which is positioned to receive a head having hair to be dried or treated with steam, said helmet having an air manifold connected to said air conduit and discharge openings to discharge air or steam into said hair, said passageway being formed by vertical walls formed integrally with said upper housing member, a discharge conduit on said generator projecting through an opening in said vertical wall into said passageway, and a rubber wall member positioned around said conduit in sealed engagement therewith and engaging said wall around said opening to seal said opening.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said generator comprises a cast metal enclosure having spaced bottom and top walls with a sheathed heating element cast integrally with said bottom wall, supporting projections of small cross-sectional area extending from said bottom wall into supporting engagement with said partition to reduce heat transfer between said generator and said partition.
 3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said generator is formed with a water inlet in said top wall, a water reservoir formed by an upwardly facing recess in said upper housing member, a valve controlled opening at the bottom of said recess, said inlet being spaced below said valve controlled opening, and conduit means extending between said valve controlled opening and said water inlet to permit water to be discharged from said recess into said generator.
 4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said upper housing member is formed with a valve passage within which a valve control member is mounted for vertical reciprocating movement, a valve seat formed at the lower end of said passageway, means biasing said control member upwardly, a valve closure at the lower end of said member biased into sealing engagement with said valve seat, said recess communicating with said passage through an opening above said valve seat, and a manually operable actuator on the upper end of said contrOl member.
 5. The combination of claim 2 including thermostatic control means connected in series with said heating element to deenergize said element when said generator heats up substantially above the normal operating temperature while generating steam, said thermostatic switch comprising a unitary switch which is clamped between said bottom wall of said enclosure and said partition.
 6. In a hair dryer of the type having a rigid helmet supported on a base by a combined support and air conduit, the improvement comprising a base housing within which a motor driven blower and a steam generator are mounted, said generator having a closed boiler heated by a sheathed electrical heating element cast integrally with the bottom wall of said boiler, said generator having a valve controlled water inlet and an open discharge which extends into the air passage from said blower, a water receiving recess formed in the upper surface of said base housing, a drain opening in the bottom of said recess, valve and conduit means for controlling the flow of water from said drain opening in said recess to said steam generator inlet, said valve means including a normally closed valve having a manual actuator to cause water to flow from said recess to said generator.
 7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said valve means includes a slidably mounted valve control member supported in the upper wall of said housing and having a pushbutton actuator at its upper end and a closure member at its lower end, said closure member being spring biased into sealing engagement with a valve opening formed in said housing wall and communicating with said drain opening.
 8. The combination of claim 6 wherein said boiler is a cast metal enclosure and includes spaced top and bottom walls which extend horizontally, said sheathed heating element being cast into said bottom wall and having parallel terminal ends extending from said bottom wall, the parallel ends of said element being closely spaced and the interconnecting portion of said element being generally circular in shape, said circular shape being substantially greater in diameter than the space between said ends.
 9. The combination of claim 6 wherein said boiler is a cast metal enclosure and includes spaced top and bottom walls which extend horizontally, said sheathed heating element being cast into said bottom wall, the interior of said enclosure including a fillet extending upwardly from the bottom wall into the sidewall of the enclosure in surrounding said element, said element having spaced parallel end portions which extend outwardly from said boiler.
 10. A combined steaming and drying hair treating appliance comprising means for delivering heated air to the head through a conduit and a double walled helmet having a perforated inner wall, a base enclosing steam generating means and a motor driven blower having means for heating the air circulated by said blower, wall means in said base for directing air from said blower and heater to said conduit, control means for selectively connecting said steam generating means or said motor and heater in circuit with a source of electrical power, means for delivering measured amounts of water into said steam generating means whereby steam is generated for a period corresponding to the measured amount of water, a thermostatically controlled signalling means responsive to the temperature of said steam generating means to provide a signal after the water and steam has been dissipated from said generating means, conduit and helmet.
 11. The appliance of claim 10 wherein said signalling means includes a light in said control means connected in circuit with a temperature responsive switch on said steam generating means, said control means includes a manually operable switch having plural positions in which either said steam generating means or said motor and heater are energized.
 12. The appliance of claim 10 wherein said signalling means includes a light connected in parallel with the heating element Of said steam generating means and said temperature responsive switch on said steam generating means connected in series with said heating element.
 13. The combination of claim 10 wherein said steam generating means comprises a cast metal boiler having a heating element cast integrally in the bottom wall thereof, a laterally extending discharge on said boiler extending through said wall means to discharge steam into said conduit, said means for delivering measured amounts of water including a normally closed check valve in the top of said boiler, said valve having an opening in the bottom of an open water reservoir, and indicia on the side of said reservoir to permit measuring the amount of water placed therein. 